Towering sunflowers crop up around West Sussex

Neighbours William and Megan Telfer Bates, their children Archie, five, and Phoebe, two, with Peter Williamson, admiring the sunflower they grew, and (right)Anita Van-Rossum with her sunflower on Donnigton's edible verge. Pictures by Kate Shemilt

Published:10:00Monday 11 August 2014

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SUMMER has truly begun, as towering sunflowers have started to crop up around the area.

Peter Williamson, of Uphill Way Hunston, has spent the spring growing his nine-foot-tall sunflower with his five-year-old neighbour Archie.

“He has been helping to water the sunflower,” said Mr Williamson.

“You can see it growing almost every day. With a sunflower, it grows quite rapidly.”

And another sunflower which towers over its gardener is at Donnington’s Edible Verge.

The verge is set aside to grow vegetables for the community as a Transition Chichester project.

But the group decided to grow a sunflower on the patch, which has grown to towering heights.

“I have grown the most amazing sunflower,” said Anita Van-Rossum, who is part of the Transition Chichester group.

She contacted the Observer after someone commented on the sunflower’s height, and said it should be entered into a competition.

Readers can send in pictures with their towering sunflowers to the Observer, at news@chiobserver.co.uk to be featured in the paper.